Customer Reviews

Another Man's Poison [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

i'm baffled at these negative reviews and at that price,$99?! jeez. saw this on TCM and thought that this was a good movie.bette davis is the best actress of all-time,just look at her expressions,they say it all. this isn't a great movie i'm afraid as the other characters in the movie are a little less to be desired.but the always good davis and the story line,especially the way it ends are the reasons to see this film. but at that price? not really.wait for it to come back on TCM or something.

I enjoyed this film and don't understand the overly harsh reviews in some of the comments. It is not Bette's best, but certainly not her worst. Bette and the supporting cast, especially Emlyn Williams, make the film very enjoyable, even though the outcome is somewhat predictable. The DVD has a Bette Davis filmography as an added attraction, but there are no other special features. This DVD had a very limited printing, which explains the high prices requested for used copies. They are indeed hard to find. This movie is shown on Turner Classic Movies cable channel about once a year, so wait to see it there. Hopefully it will get another run on DVD in the future with some extra features included. Bette Davis and Gary Merrill were early in their marriage when this film was made, and they play well against one another, although at times both seem to overact a bit. Regardless of the other comments, you can reasonably expect to enjoy this film if you like Bette Davis.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie, despite the unkind reviews. The story was fresh and the dialogue was sharp, NOBODY CAN DELIVER A LINE LIKE BETTE DAVIS!!! She plays the evil dame with such grace and finnesse that you cant help wanting her to triumph in the end! So sit back, turn off the lights, and enjoy Bette Davis being so bad she's good!!!

This film, based upon the play "Deadlock" by Leslie Sands, is not one of those films that will make the viewer stand up and cheer. Were it not for Bette Davis, it would probably not even merit a viewing, so improbable is the script with which she has to work. The other cast members, as well, have thankless roles.

Davis lights up the screen as mystery novelist, Janet Frobisher, who lives in isolated splendor on the Yorkshire moors in England. Her nearest neighbor is the local busy body and veterinarian, Dr. Henderson, a role gamely played by Emlyn Williams. Frobisher, a selfish, amoral vixen, falls in love with her secretary's fiance, Larry (Anthony Steele). One little problem stands in her way of eternal bliss. She, herself, is married to a man with a criminal past, one with whom she has had little contact in recent years. In the first few minutes of the film, it is revealed that she has single handedly and cold bloodedly dispatched her husband, who has had the misfortune to show up unexpectedly, to the great beyond. Unfortunately for her, she gets an unwelcome, surprise visitor on the heels of her murderous act, when her husband's partner in crime, George Bates, shows up looking for him.

The improbable storyline that follows is kept afloat by Ms. Davis alone. Gary Merrill, the real life husband of Bette Davis at the time, stoically and woodenly plays the thankless role of George Bates. He, as well as the rest of the cast, fades into the background, when on screen with Ms. Davis. Even Ms. Davis, however, is unable to keep this clunker totally afloat. Stagey, with leaden dialogue and a ridiculous premise, this film would have immediately tanked, were it not for the Ms. Davis. Struggling valiantly with this turkey, Ms. Davis smokes, drinks, kills, and loves, as only Ms. Davis can, with over the top acting that manages to make the viewer stay with the film. Davis devotees will, undoubtedly, enjoy this film, despite its many flaws.

This no frills DVD offers little more than an extensive list of Ms. Davis' films by way of special features. The sound and picture quality of this ninety minute, black and white film, however, is good.

"ANOTHER MAN'S POISON," DIRECTED BY IRVING RAPPER WHO GAVE YOU "NOW, VOYAGER, IS ABOUT AN AUTHORESS, BETTE DAVIS, WHO HAS TROUBLE WITH THE MEN IN HER LIFE. SHE HAS A HUSBAND WHO STANDS IN THE WAY OF A YOUNGER LOVER, AND THEN THERE'S GARY MERRILL, WITH EVIL INTENTIONS IN HIS HEART, WHO HAS HAD BAD DEALINGS WITH BETTE'S HUSBAND. BETTE KEEPS ALL THE BALLS IN THE AIR HERE, AND HAS WONDERFUL BITCHY ENCOUNTERS, VERY BITCHY ENCOUNTERS, WITH HER LOVER, WITH MERRILL, AND WITH HER HUSBAND. SHE STORMS AROUND THIS ENGLISH COTTAGE TALKING ABOUT HER HORSE THAT HAS BEEN KILLED, HER PET, AND HOW SHE WILL DEAL WITH THE MURDERER. ADD TO ALL THIS, POISON, THAT FINDS ITS WAY INTO BOTTLES AND FLASKS, AND WHATNOT, AND THROW IN A BODY AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE, AND A NOSY NEIGHBOR WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST ONE KILLED, AND YOU HAVE A GREAT TOSSED SALAD OF EVENTS, WITH PLENTY OF RICH DAVIS VINEGAR TO MAKE IT TANGY.

THIS ONE IS NOT BE MISSED, ESPECIALLY THE CLOSING, WITH ITS SUGGESTION OF DARK VICTORY, BUT WITH NONE OF THE NICENESS OF THE LATTER FILM. SO, WATCH BETTE SMOKE UP A STORM, RIDE HORSES WITH HER ROMANTIC LOVER, TRY TO KILL MERRILL IN A JEEP, DO BAD THINGS TO HER HUSBAND, AND THEN FIND HERSELF IN A TERRIBLE FIX AT THE END.

WONDERFUL ACTING, FABULOUS GESTURES, AND EVERY SCENE IS BETTE...A GREAT PIECE OF FUN AND WILD FANCY.

I am shocked by the poor reveiws of this film ... This Movie was Great !!! A lack of credit to the story line and Mrs. Davis !!! Bette was her usual self playing the evil dramatic villan we all so adore .... I have yet to see a bad bette davis film and have seen over 30 of her films .... I would highly recommend this film to those Bette Davis Fans who appreciate her talent and diversity to play so many different roles and play them so well throughout her career as an actress .... ***** 5 stars ***** to Mrs.Davis in this Film :-)

Celebrated mystery writer Janet Frobisher (Davis) - who lives in a secluded mansion on the Yorkshire moors - is in love with Larry (Anthony Steele), a young engineer engaged to marry her secretary (Barbara Murray)..........It is fascinating watching Bette Davis, a superb screen actress if ever there was one, play everything in a blaze of breathtaking absurdity. The melodramatic gamut seldom has experienced the workout it is given in ANOTHER MAN'S POISON, a wild and fanciful saga where Davis, queen of the vixens, combs her hair, lights cartons of cigarettes, snaps her fingers and bites her consonants! No one has ever accused Davis of failing to rise to a good script; what this shows is how far she could go to meet a bad one. It's obvious that director Irving Rapper let Bette basically direct herself, for the same zealous overplaying isn't evident among the other cast members. Not to be missed by Davis fans! - it's safe to say that there are few things in the cinema quite like it. Based upon the play DEADLOCK by Leslie Sands, this little flick from 1952 was made in England and was, interestingly enough, produced by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

I collect Bette Davis movies and this is one of my favorites. It's defintately one that every collector should add to their collection. It's Bette at her finest, being as conniving as ever (but don't you just love her for it..hehe)

I don't know why anyone would dislike this film. Of course it doesn't compare to Bette's best. Not every film can be Now Voyager or Little Foxes. But this odd little thriller is full of twists and just plain fun to watch. Ms. Davis is at her bitchy best. I gasped out loud at Furie's fate and had a hardy guffaw when Bette sampled "another man's poison". Even though the picture quality is not great,(downright murky in parts),I think it was worth every penny of the [...] I paid for a used copy. Some people will complain about anything. Ignore the nay-sayers and enjoy this obscure treat for what it is

Bette Davis, so it's worth seeing. It was curiosity that lead me to purchase this a few years ago, mostly curiosity about the chemistry the film might show between Davis and Gary Merrill, and it is an interesting dynamic to watch.'Another Man's Poison,' however, is not exactly a lost treasure. It is no way on the level of 'All About Eve' but then, not a lot is.
An irritating, old codger neighbor rather ruins the flow of the first half of the movie, you kind of wish Davis would just shoot him or something and get on with the rest of the film. Merrill is good. Davis, as almost always, shows a lot of range, though the ending is kind of a disappointment- even when she's over the top, I've come to expect quality and something new in every performance of hers. The final seconds in the film, while certainly over-the-top, seem a bit cutrate, in terms of her performance. I could be wrong.
Glad to have it, nonetheless.